The best joint tips are designed to help cannabis smokers in a number of ways, like helping avoid roach clips, allowing you to smoke the whole thing without worrying about burning material going down your throat, and so on. In the time of COVID, these can also be helpful in keeping the joint hygienic. And if you think you’re missing out, THC isn’t filtered, but airflow is enhanced, making a smoother burn overall. More importantly, filters keep the plant matter from going into your lungs. No one wants to lose weed and no one wants unburnt plant matter collecting in their lung tissues.
If you rolled joints years ago you may have no idea that filter tips are quite popular now, and they’ve come a long way from just a few years ago. While cigarette filters are typically made from cotton, weed filter tips have shifted to more organic substances as well, as we can see in these different types of filter tips. Which is the best joint filter for you? Often it takes a little “taste testing” to see which suits your style.
1. Organic Corn Husk Filter Tips
One of the simplest yet most effective types of tips, corn husk filters are of course made from corn husks. They’re durable and generally inexpensive, but there are also many new varieties with some clever tricks. For example, there are corn husk tips that have essential oil capsules in them, and when you pop those capsules they release a flavoring agent that enhances the flavor of your bud. It’s a great way to add some kick to your smoke, in the flavor department anyway.
Corn husks cool smoke as it goes through them, and the smoker can cool it even more by squeezing on the filter when they inhale. They tend to be quite affordable, ranging from about $1.30 to just under $2 in most places. There’s also a wide variety of sizes, so you can roll joints or blunts.
2. Glass Filter Tips
Let’s face it, glass filter tips look classy and feel great. They provide a solid way to hold your smoke while retaining the cooling effect. But there’s a downside to glass filter tips: they will break. If you drop a glass filter tip it could shatter, or a piece could break off. Luckily, they’re also not that expensive — most are just a couple of bucks — and they’re not the only option around. But some prefer them, and if you need to be careful about spreading germs, they’re easier to clean than most tips and can be effectively sanitized. Glass might be style over substance, but they do look good and can be found as a feature in some pre-rolled joints where weed is legal.
3. Ceramic Joint Filter Tips
Ceramic is a little tougher than glass, and these tips also look good. They’re more functional than glass in most cases, however, not just due to durability but because ceramic has a better cooling effect and they’re easy to clean and disinfect. There are even some ceramic tips that fit into rolling machines, making it easier than ever to create a slick joint with fantastic handling and cooling properties. Considering the finest Apple Watches are made with ceramic, ceramic is an understated but great material for a tip.
4. Hemp Filter Tips
Putting cannabis in your cannabis to filter the cannabis with cannabis? Yes, that’s exactly what hemp filter tips are all about. Hemp filter tips offer a number of advantages: They’re totally organic, they don’t break, and they’re incredibly cheap. However, some consumers are concerned about chlorine, which can be used to bleach paper. Hemp is a particularly dark paper, so there may be some manufacturers taking a shortcut and using chlorine — but not all. In fact, there are hemp filter tips that actually have hemp oil on them, making them far safer and more pleasant. Since it’s hemp and basically paper, you can also create your own tips, making them as dense or light or short or long as you please. Just look online and you’ll see some great how-to’s on the topic.
5. Silicon Marijuana Filter Tips
These are using the modern heat-resistant go-to, silicon. Today, there are bongs and more being made from silicon, but these are more like cigarette holders. Designed more for joints and blunts, these are practical devices designed to make sure you can hold the joint as long as possible. There’s not a filtering effect really, but it does put distance between you and the heat. They’re super cheap, durable, can easily be cleaned, and come in a variety of colors.
6. Unbleached Paper Rolling Tips
Of course, just like the hemp filter tips, these unbleached filter tips are basically paper. But you have no worries about bleach products getting into your lungs, because these have no bleach. Paper rolling tips are cheap and effective, easy to carry, and can be folded in ways to control the filtration you get. These are the least fancy filter tips of the lot, perhaps, but likely to be the most common you’ll find, even on pre-rolls.
7. Charcoal Weed Filter Tips
Now we’re talking more high-tech filtrations. Sure, a charcoal weed filter tip will keep the smoke cool, but it’ll also use the tiny charcoal particles in the filter tip to latch onto carcinogens in the smoke. Charcoal can provide an impeccably smooth smoke, but there’s also the problem of resin. The charcoal pieces are porous, but easily clogged by dank buds. This can lead to clogging or even seeping resin, although it’s more likely people are just using them too long. Like most filter tips, they’re not designed to last forever. Still, you should try them and see if your sessions are elevated by a less harsh pull each time.
